Advantages and Disadvantages of Screening

Advantages and Disadvantages of Screening

The tests and measures administration done to distinguish people with a health condition from those without it is what is known as screening.

Screening Advantages

Among the advantages of screening is that it is utilized to indicate cancer symptoms before their development. It assists the professionals of healthcare in identifying and treating different cancer types before the occurrence of symptoms at early stages. Considering that irregular or cancer tissues do not bring individuals further complications at their first stages, then early detection can help in treatment. The spread of cancer could have started, and when symptoms show up, there may be an experience of difficulty during treatment. Among the tests included are medical imaging, urine tests, DNA tests, and blood checks (Smith et al.,2018). The measurement of the screening benefits is done in terms of afterwards care, early detection, and cancer prevention against risks. Screening is a crucial preventive medicine aspect. The tools of screening are utilized in the early stages of detection of patients to provide symptoms prevention or mitigation of other effects and the required care and as well increase the health outcomes of the population at an affordable price. Early diagnosis of congenital disorders is used to identify challenges of health experienced by a patient and to assist in making an effective treatment plan. Early diagnosis is appropriate in the incidences where medical science cannot be utilized because it assists in saving the patient, their frustration, pain, and time. Conducting a screening process is appropriate in the case where there are activities that can be done to stop certain conditions or boost outcomes.

Screening is done before the operation and during the operation process, even though the patient may appear to be okay. The aim of doing the pre-operative screening is to obtain more information concerning the probable conditions which may have an impact on therapy. The tests to be conducted are determined by the disease, general health, type of procedures to be conducted, age, and prescription.

Screening Disadvantages

Even though screening has multiple advantages, there are also many disadvantages associated with it. When screening is conducted, individuals who have cancer and do not show any symptoms develop a false sense of security and do not get treatment early. The professionals of healthcare may fail to respond effectively to symptoms to rule cancer out as the cause. People get treatment that is inappropriate compared to that which they would have gotten in the case of no screening test. These inaccurate kinds of tests may inappropriately result to worry among people who have positive outcomes from tests that are false. An individual may not find it stressful to wait if they do not have comprehensive details of the condition (Clark et al., 2022). The requirement of more testing for diagnosis validation may involve taking samples of tissue which may result in complications or more tension. Even though most of the tests for screening are non-invasive or minimally invasive, some involve procedures that may pose an individual a risk immediately, including the risk such as colonoscopy or postponed perforation as a possible increase in the risks for cancer due to excess X-rays.

The diagnostic tests utilized for screening are not adequate in many cases when conducting a final diagnosis. The aim of conducting some of the tests is to find out the existence of anomalies, and more close observation is used in some of the tests. Conducting a stool test, for instance, aims to find out whether there is blood hidden in an individual’s faeces, and this is used to test for bowel cancer. The presence of hidden blood is an indication that bowel cancer exists in the body of the individual. In case of irregular test findings, an endoscope is utilized to closely examine the bowel. To determine whether non-cancerous disease or cancer produces traces of blood, this is the only way utilized.

References

Clark, G. R., Steele, R. J., & Fraser, C. G. (2022). Strategies to minimize the current disadvantages experienced by women in faecal immunochemical test-based colorectal cancer screening. Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (CCLM), 60(10), 1496- 1505.

Smith, R. A., Andrews, K. S., Brooks, D., Fedewa, S. A., Manassaram‐Baptiste, D., Saslow, D. … & Wender, R. C. (2018). Cancer screening in the United States, 2018: a review of current American Cancer Society guidelines and current issues in cancer screening. CA: a cancer journal for clinicians, 68(4), 297-316.

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Advantages and Disadvantages of Screening

Screening plays an essential role in healthcare by identifying individuals with a particular condition. It involves administering tests or measures to differentiate those who likely have the condition from those who probably do not. While screening offers several advantages, it also presents certain disadvantages. This discussion explores the benefits and drawbacks of screening in healthcare.

Advantages of Screening

One of the primary advantages of screening is the ability for early detection of illnesses or conditions. Early identification permits well-timed interventions, leading to better treatment results and advanced prognosis. For example, mammography screening can detect breast cancer early, increasing the possibilities of successful treatment and survival. Secondly, screening can lead to implementing preventive measures that can reduce the risk or progression of a condition (Givler & Givler, 2023). For example, screening for high blood pressure can identify humans with excessive blood pressure, allowing healthcare providers to prescribe a way of life modifications and drugs to prevent complications like coronary heart disease and stroke. Lastly, screening packages can extensively affect public health by identifying people in danger within a population. Through targeting specific conditions, which include infectious illnesses, screening can assist in containing outbreaks, reduce transmission, and enhance population health.

Disadvantages of Screening

Firstly, screening tests are imperfect and can produce false positives and negatives. False positives occur while a test suggests the presence of a condition when none exists, leading to unnecessary tension and follow-up investigations. False negatives, alternatively, can deliver individuals a false experience of security, leading to behind-schedule analysis and treatment. Also, Screening can identify conditions that may never have caused harm or required treatment (Yong et al., 2022). This phenomenon, known as over diagnosis, can lead to unnecessary medical interventions, including surgeries, medications, and associated risks and costs. Lastly, screening programs require significant resources in terms of finances, healthcare personnel, and infrastructure. This can strain healthcare systems, especially in resource-limited settings, where allocating resources for screening might take away from other essential healthcare services.

In conclusion, screening provides several advantages by enabling early detection, facilitating preventive measures, and impacting public health positively. However, it also presents certain disadvantages, including the potential for false positives and negatives, over diagnosis, and resource utilization. Therefore, carefully considering the benefits and drawbacks is necessary when implementing screening programs, ensuring that the benefits outweigh the potential harms.